Table bolster for use in the treatment of skins and hides



Jan. 30, 1923. 1,443,721

C. E. ALBRIGHT.

TABLE BOLSTER FOR USE IN THE TREATMENT 0F SKINS AND HIDES.

FILED APR.26.1921.

Patented Jan.' 3o, 1923.

UNITED- STATES PATENT ori-icaY CHESTER E. ALBRIGHT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO REVERE RUBBER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

TABLE BOLSTER FOR USE IN THE TREATMENT OF SKINS AND HIDES.

Application led April 26, 1921.

To all whom "it may concern.'

Be it known that I, C Hns'rnn E. ALBRIGHT a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Table Bolsters for Use in the Treatment of` Skins and Hides, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to table holsters for use in the treatment of skins and hides and method ofmaking same, and has for its ing, setting out, and putting out"A treatments. While my improved bolster may be employed in any of these treatments with equal success and wherever bolsters of this general type are used, the present description. will, however, for the purpose of illustration, be confined more particularly to the unhairing treatment.

The table upon which bolsters of this type are used resembles a. vertical wooden slab. the bolster being hung or mounted 'over the top edge with lts sides han ing down on either side of the table. ach machine generally comprises a Series of these vertical tables secured between endless travelling chains which carry the tables in an endless path to and from the operator who hangs the skins or hides over the respective bolsters in readiness for the desired treatment and removes them therefrom after treatment. Referring now more particularly'to the unhairing treatment the series of vertical tables are carried consecutively upwards between a pair (or pairs) of rotatable knives somewhat resembling the ordinary type of lawnmower with the Aexception that the blades have roundin` edges to effect a scraping action rather than a cutting action, and the convolutions run in opposite directions from Serial No. 464,595.

the centre outwardly somewhat in herringbone fashion in orderthat the skin Will be subjected to a scrapin action downwardly and outwardly from t e centre toward the side edges thereby' maintaining the skin under tension.

The usualmethod of bolstering the table was to cover it with a sheet o'f felt some half inch in thickness and overjthis place a bullhide -a quarter inch inthickness. This type has been substituted by a bolsterY formed of rubber. All such holsters are simply taken from the-flat sheet and doubled over the table and then nailed' or otherwise fastened. along their edges in an attempt to keep them flat and even and to conform them .to the table. They' have, however, always been open to the serious objection that due to their thickness and stiffness they have bulged outwardly on either side of the table, the bulges appearing promiscuousl throughout their areasb'ut principally ad 'acent the line of fold at the 4top of the table. hese bulges have materially interfered' with the successful operation of the machines and have materially shortened the life of the bolster. For instance in the unha-iring operation it is desirable that the hairs be entirely and perfectly removed from the skin and that the skin be in no Way injured during this operation. The knives are under considerable pressure .and

the principal object of the bolster is to cushion the skin in order that it may be yieldingly supported against the knives during the scrapingA action. -The skins are of varying thicknesses and it is important that a plane or smooth surface be presented toV the knives and thatl the inequalities appear at the back of the skin instead of the face, the thicker portions being embedded in the bolster so 4that the .pressure of the knives will be evenly distributed over the surface of the skin and the skin thereby subjected to -a uniform scraping action in order vthat the hairs may be uniformly removed.

lVherever -a bulge appears in the bolster a corresponding bulge appears in the skin and it is obvious that a skin having these uneven outer surfaces cannot receive a uniform treatment. the higher spots will be exing. Furthermore, as the skins are irreg-`r ular 1n contour and vary materially 1n size,

the bolster is made of suliicient size to support the skin and to leave a large `margin of the bolster surrounding the skin uncovered. It is obvious that bulges appearing in the bolster at these uncovered portions will be subjected dinectly to the scraping action of the knives and the bolster thereby seriously injuredby rendering it of unequal thickness, so that the skins will not be evenly supported thereby producing unsatisfactory results in the unhairing or other.Y treatment.v As has been previously stated attemptspure rubber has been employed its tensile strength has been insufficient to resist this. force and the bolster has often been found to crack and break along the fold at the top. Attempts have been made to correctthis by reinforcing the rubber'with one or more plies of fabric, but while this affords additional strength'it veryxmaterially increases the stiffness and produces such-excessive bulging that a bolster of this construction has proven impractical.

vI have found that these defects in the rubber bolster can be overcome if the bolster be set in its folded condition, that is to say, if it be given the permanent shape that it will assume when mounted over the table. This will be in most instances approximately U-shaped with the two sides spaced apart to lan amount approximately equal to that of the thickness of the table and the portion connecting the two sides being preferably` rounded to snugly lint the correspondingly rounded to edge of the table. This will permit the bolster to hang Yat both sides of the table perfectly flat 'and comparatively limp or dead requirin fastenings andpresenting no bulges.

no uch a bolster is represented in the drawing by the numeral 1, Fig. 1, showing a skin 2 thrown over the bolster. Fig. 2 is an end view of the bolster vshowing the" general U-shaped fold 3 and straight sides 4-4 spaced apart sufficiently to snugly fit over the table and to lie Hat on each side thereof.

By thus setting the bolster in its folded or preformed condition I am enabled to rein'- force it withfibrous material such as one or more-plies of fabric without losing any ofeffects of the water and the. materials in general that the bolster comes in contact with.

The fabric is preferably disposed near thev back of the bolster, a thin layer of plastic as for instance the layer 6 serving to protect itwhile the mass of plastic-f7 is dis posed at the front of the bolster in order to provide the desired cushion for the skins and hides. The rubber or other plastic may be incorporated with the fibrous component in any desired or well known manner. The sheet after it has been formed is folded about a core or form 8 and. placed between the platens 94-9 of a press, .'and side blocks if desired, the'side blocks l0, 11 only being shown'whichserve to confine the bolster at itsH-top and bottom respectively, the top block being curved to form the curved upper .edge of the bolster. The bolster is vulcanized in any desired or preferred manner while in the press, and while but a single bolster has been shown it is obvious tlat a plurality of holsters may be shaped and permanently set by vulcanization or otherwise in the press at the same time.4

A bolster made according to my invention has the advantages, among others, that itv willlie flat (without bulges) upon the table, 'f and requires no fastening means, l

whereby the bestresults will be attai-ned in the treatment to which the skins or hides are subjected' with the' least likelihood of inlengthened.` The plastic` component may be reinforced by one or 4more plies of strainresisting material whereby a composite bolster may be-formed, the strains to which the bolster is, subjected being resisted by the fabric portion thereby leaving the plastic portion free to serve as a cushion for the hides or skins. This permits a rubber or other compound to 'be selected best suitable for the particular service to which the bolster is in tended, and as no reliance need be placed upon the strain-resisting properties of the plastic component'it may be as thin and be made of asr cheap a compound as the nature of the work to be performed will permit thereby 'often making a material saving in cost. It will thus be seen that a bolster of the above characteristics is superior, more durable, and can ,be manufactured at less cost.

. The folded portion of the bolster has all the characteristics of rubber or other plastic set or vulcanized while in the folded condition, that is to say, it is plainly noticeable -Having thus described vmy invention what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is f y 1. A bolster for covering both sides of a vertical slab or table used in the treatment of skins and hides comprising a sheet of vulcanized rubber, folded to hang over the top of the slab .or table and down both sides thereof the fold being formed to snugly lit.

the top edge of the slab or table and the sides formed to depend from either side of said fold to normally lay smoothly against;

the sides of said slab or bolster, to provide a smooth surface about the entire outside of the bolster conforming to the shape of the slab or table', said formation of the fold and positioning of the sides being produced prior to vulcanization to thereby produce permanency of said arrangement of the fold and sides in the finished article.

2. Af bolster for covering both sides of a vertical slab or table used in the 'treatment of skins a'ndhides comprising "a reinforcement of fibrous vmaterial and a facing of rubber vulcanized thereto, folded to hang over the top of' the slab or table and down both sides thereof the fold being formed to snugly fit the top edge of the slab or table and the sides formed to depend from either side of said fold to normally lay smoothly against the sides of said slab or bolster, to provide a smooth Surface about the entire outside of the bolster conforming to the shape of the slab or table, said formation of the fold and positioning of the sides being produced prior to vulcanization to thereby produce permanency of said arrangement lof the fold and sides in the finished article.

Signed at Philadelphia in the county of Philadelphia and State of- Pennsylvania,

' this 22nd day of April 1921.

CHESTER E. ALBRIGHT. 

